Common Word, Common Lord

In the Name of God: the Infinitely Merciful and Compassionate Beloved Lord At first blush, it may seem strange that I would want to walk with King Solomon. The picture painted of him by many is unflattering to say the least. Yet, Muslim belief about him is that he was a pious Prophet of God…

In the Name of God: the Infinitely Merciful, Compassionate, and Beloved Lord I must admit: sometimes, I feel left out. As a Muslim living in a majority Christian country – where most everyone is celebrating Christmas while I am not – it can sometimes feel lonely at this time of year. Thus, it is natural…

In the Name of God: the Infinitely Merciful, Beautiful, and Beloved Lord On June 7, 2009, my eldest daughter lost her battle with lymphoma. Today is her 17th birthday.   My Lord my God, my Savior and Grace, The One Who has the Most Beautiful Face ‘Twas seventeen years since You graced my life And…

In the Name of God: the Infinitely Compassionate and Merciful Beloved Lord As is the case every year, Christmas Day is just another calendar day for me. In fact, I will be working in the hospital on Christmas Day this year, one of 11 shifts I am scheduled to work until the end of the…

In the Name of God: the Infinitely Merciful and Compassionate Beloved Lord This time of year is always special: it is a time when we all pause and spend time with our friends and families and give thanks to the Lord for His bounty and blessings. Although there are some in the Muslim fold that…

In the Name of God: the Compassionate and Infinitely Merciful Precious Beloved Lord I was in college, and my friend and I were sitting in the prayer room at Marquette University talking when a sister came into the room to offer her prayers. Once she was done, my friend had made a suggestion to her…

In the Name of God, the Infinitely Merciful and Compassionate Beloved Lord The perception of the Qur’an – and by extension all of Islam – is that it is a book of violence and intolerance. Indeed, there is no shortage of verses in the Qur’an that are tough in nature and talk about war and…

In the Name of the Beautiful, Compassionate Beloved Lord our God The day began just like all other days on that day in August many years ago. I was on the Pulmonary consult service in the hospital, and on the agenda was a bronchoscopy on a patient in the coronary care unit. “Cool,” I thought,…

In the Name of God, the Compassionate and Most Merciful Beloved Lord Tomorrow marks the 12th anniversary of the horrific attacks on our country in New York and Washington, D.C. I will never forget that day, and it has been burned into my memory as if it had occurred yesterday. All across our country, we…

In the Name of God, the Compassionate and Infinitely Merciful After voraciously taking in Reza Aslan’s book, Zealot, about the life and times of Jesus Christ, I decided to read his bestselling book about Islam, No god but God. Towards the end of his excellent, I must say, book Aslan wrote: Just as the Christian…

Hesham A. Hassaballa
about

Hesham A. Hassaballa

Hesham A. Hassaballa is a Chicago doctor and writer. He has written extensively on a freelance basis, being published in newspapers across the country and around the world. He has been a Beliefnet columnist since 2001, and has written for the Religion News Service. He is also a columnist for Patheos. His articles have been distributed worldwide by Agence Global, and he was also a guest blogger for The Chicago Tribune and has blogged on ChicagoNow" . In addition, Dr. Hassaballa has appeared as a guest on WTTW (Channel 11) in Chicago, CNN, Fox News, BBC, and National Public Radio.

Dr. Hassaballa is co-author of The Beliefnet Guide to Islam (Doubleday), and his essay, “Why I Love the Ten Commandments,” was published in the award-winning book Taking Back Islam (Rodale). His latest book, Noble Brother, is the story of the Prophet Muhammad told entirely in poetry, and it is now published in its second edition.

In 2007, his blog "God, Faith, and a Pen" was nominated for a Brass Crescent Award for a blog that is “the most stimulating, insightful, and philosophical, providing the best rebuttals to extremist ideology and making an impact whenever they post.” "God, Faith, and a Pen" has also received an award for being one of the "Top Muslim Blogs for 2010" by Awarding The Web.

In addition to writing, Dr. Hassaballa helped found the Chicago Chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations and currently serves on their board of directors. He also co-founded the Bayan H. Hassaballa Charitable Foundation and now serves as its Treasurer.

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